Today's Media Pulse
Online video subscriptions hit 2.24 billion in 2025, overtaking pay‑TV revenue
Omdia reports global online video subscriptions reached 2.24 billion at the end of 2025, a 17.6% year‑on‑year rise. Revenue grew 13.5% to $176 billion, surpassing pay‑TV's $170 billion for the first time. Growth is expected to slow to single‑digit levels in 2026 as operators focus on monetising existing users.
Also developing:
TV Upfronts Lean Into Creator‑Driven Advertising, Networks Signal Shift
Broadcast and streaming giants such as NBCUniversal, Disney, Fox, Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Netflix highlighted creator‑centric projects during the current TV upfront season. The push reflects a growing belief that digital creators can unlock new ad revenue streams, even as traditional networks remain cautious about fully integrating creators into the ad sales narrative.
Ofcom Proposes Broadcast-Style Regulation for Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video
Ofcom has released draft regulations that would extend UK broadcast‑style content and accessibility standards to Tier 1 streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video. The proposals require services with over 500,000 UK users to adhere to a new content...
AI-Generated Ads Fuel Controversy in Los Angeles Mayoral Race
AI‑produced campaign videos have racked up over 13 million views in the Los Angeles mayoral race, prompting fierce debate over their impact and fairness. Candidates Karen Bass, Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt are scrambling to balance viral digital tactics with traditional...
Kelsey Plum Joins WNBA on Prime as Player Contributor
Prime Video announced that Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum will serve as a player contributor for WNBA on Prime throughout the 2026 season. Plum will appear on the pre‑game, halftime, and post‑game studio shows, offering on‑court insight alongside Allie...
BMC TV Takes Racing by the Bitrate with Open Broadcast Systems’ 5G Flyaway
Open Broadcast Systems’ 5G Flyaway is now powering BMC TV’s live horse‑racing coverage across the UK. The portable unit bundles multiple 5G links into a constant‑bitrate MPEG transport stream, delivering satellite‑grade picture quality with sub‑second latency from remote tracks. By...
![[Interview] Tycoon Media Owners, Attacks on Journalists, Self-Censorship and ‘Influencers’: Why Europe’s Press Freedom Is in Retreat](https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/0e9cd9e6ab45700450c845e49b1318f5.webp)
[Interview] Tycoon Media Owners, Attacks on Journalists, Self-Censorship and ‘Influencers’: Why Europe’s Press Freedom Is in Retreat
In an EUobserver interview, EFJ secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez warns that Europe’s press freedom is slipping as media ownership concentrates and political interference rises. He contrasts Nordic groups like Schibsted, which preserve internal pluralism, with France’s Bolloré empire that steers editorial lines...
Cannes 2026: All Aboard the Press Gazette News Yacht
Press Gazette is debuting the News Yacht, a fringe gathering held on Equativ’s yacht during the Cannes Lions Festival on June 22, 2026. The event will convene senior leaders from news, marketing and technology to discuss how quality journalism can...
Review: 'Dutton Ranch' Is a Gritty New Frontier for the 'Yellowstone' Saga
"Dutton Ranch" launches the Yellowstone franchise into Texas, centering on Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as they navigate cut‑throat ranch politics. The Paramount+ drama blends the original’s family‑conflict core with a harsher frontier‑justice tone, echoing the volatility that defined the...
Bloomberg Wants Contextual Targeting To Work In Live Video
Bloomberg is extending its contextual advertising capabilities to live video, leveraging its AdService platform to analyze video descriptions and captions in near real‑time. The company’s global media planning and campaign management (PCM) team is integrating new audience tools, video targeting...
The AI Chat Ad Frontier: What LLMs Change About Brand Safety And Control
ChatGPT ads are emerging as a new advertising channel, shifting impressions, searches and transactions into the conversational windows of large language models (LLMs). Unlike static web or social media placements, LLM responses are generated in real time, making the surrounding...
Marketers Put up Guardrails as AI Agents Reshape Programmatic Buying
AI agents are rapidly entering programmatic ad buying, promising autonomous campaign creation and real‑time optimization. Marketers, however, remain wary, citing hallucinations and budget‑blowout risks, and are installing guardrails to retain control. Companies like Kelly Scott Madison and Bayer have built internal gatekeepers...
Inside the AI Studio Where Mahabharat Is Engineered
Galleri5’s AI‑driven studio produced a new Mahabharat series for Jio Hotstar and Star Plus, reaching over 50 million viewers. The company claims a 30‑minute episode can be created in four‑to‑five days for $18‑$48k, far below the traditional Indian film budget of more than...
Nine, Mamamia and Are Media Leaders to Discuss Industry’s ‘Post-Platform Pivot’ at Publish
Media publishing conference Publish 2026 will be held in Sydney on September 2, curated by former BuzzFeed Australia GM Simon Crerar. The event’s theme, “Elevating Human Authority,” addresses the shift toward AI‑driven content and the need for publishers to reclaim direct...
Netflix Ramps up Global Ad Push with AI Tools and 250M Monthly Viewers
Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier now reaches over 250 million monthly active viewers worldwide, signaling a major scaling of its advertising business. The company unveiled AI‑powered tools that can manage ad purchases and dynamically adapt creative assets, as well as...
NCIS Ends Season 23 with Gunshot Cliffhanger, Teasing High‑Stakes Season 24
CBS’s long‑running procedural NCIS closed its 23rd season with a shocking gun‑shot cliffhanger that left the fate of Special Agent Nick Torres or another character uncertain. Actor Sean Murray and showrunner Steven D. Binder say the ending raises personal stakes...
Canela Media Launches Zully App and Boosts Audience Data to Reach 60M Hispanic Users
Canela Media introduced Zully, a new mobile micro‑series app, at its 2026 Upfront event and expanded its Canela Audience Solutions data offering. The moves aim to capture younger, mobile‑first Hispanic viewers, leveraging 60 million monthly active users and 35 million proprietary IDs.
YouTube‑Born Horror Filmmakers Storm Feature Film Market, Highlighting Creator‑Economy Shift
YouTube‑originated horror makers are landing major studio deals and theatrical releases, with Curry Barker’s Obsession and Kane Parsons’s Backrooms slated for summer debuts. The trend underscores how the creator economy is reshaping talent pipelines and studio financing.
Versant Hypes DTC, Library Content
Versant reported first‑quarter revenue of $1.7 billion, a modest 1% YoY decline, as linear distribution fell more than 7% and contributed roughly $1 billion of the total. CEO Mark Lazarus outlined a strategy to shift 33% of revenue to non‑pay‑TV platforms within...
Rumble Inc (RUM) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Rumble Inc. posted full‑year 2025 revenue of $100.6 million, a 5% increase that broke the $100 million threshold for the first time. Monthly active users climbed to 52 million, up 11% sequentially, driven by international expansion and the rapid uptake of the new...
YouTube Talks TV Growth
U.S. users now watch more than 200 million hours of YouTube content each day on TV, representing over half of the platform’s domestic watch time. CEO Neal Mohan said the living‑room surge began years ago and was accelerated by the pandemic,...
Everything We Announced at YouTube Brandcast 2026
YouTube Brandcast 2026 unveiled a slate of exclusive creator‑driven shows and a suite of AI‑powered advertising tools designed to blend brand building with direct performance. New features include Custom Sponsorships that auto‑match videos to brand moments, a Masthead with a...
Behind the Scenes: Alex Cooper's Next Era
Alex Cooper, the creator of the hit podcast Call Her Daddy, announced at YouTube’s Brandcast that her Unwell Network will debut four original series on the platform. The slate includes a reality competition, a social‑experiment series, a micro‑drama and a docuseries, all built...
Condé Nast Loses 33 Editorial Staff in 5 Months, Glamour's Near-Centennial Legacy Is on Life Support After Latest Round of...
Condé Nast announced 16 additional layoffs across Glamour, SELF and its entertainment unit, raising total union‑member cuts to 33 in five months. The company simultaneously sold assets, merged Teen Vogue into a single operation and shut down SELF entirely. The cuts hit...
Scripps Seals Local Broadcast Deal with Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have signed a new local television rights agreement with Scripps Sports that takes effect in the 2026‑27 NBA season, bringing games back to free over‑the‑air TV for the first time since 2005. WMYD TV20 Detroit will serve...
Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer to End with Season 5
Netflix announced that the legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer will conclude with a fifth season, ending its run after four previous installments. The series stars Manuel Garcia‑Rulfo as defense attorney Mickey Haller and adapts Michael Connelly’s bestselling novels. Created by...
New Twitch Change Lets All Streamers Make Money Right Away, but There’s a Catch
Twitch is extending its Affiliate‑only monetization suite—including Channel Points, Bits, subscriptions, custom emotes and badges—to every streamer in the United States, with a worldwide rollout expected later in 2026. The tools become instantly usable, but creators who are not Affiliates...
The Lincoln Lawyer To End With Season 5 At Netflix
Netflix announced that the Michael Connelly‑based series The Lincoln Lawyer will end with a fifth season, adapting the seventh novel, Resurrection Walk, into ten episodes. The final season introduces six new recurring guest stars, such as Amy Aquino as Judge...
YouTube Is Courting Creators — and Sponsors — with Streaming Shows
YouTube announced a slate of exclusive, creator‑driven streaming shows at its annual advertiser event, featuring personalities like Trevor Noah and Alex Cooper. The platform is positioning itself as a bridge between creators and brands, bundling original series with AI‑powered tools that...
FCC Issues Violation Notices to Two Texas FM Licensees
The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued violation notices to two Texas FM broadcasters: Houston’s 99‑watt translator K231CN (94.1 FM) and Arlington’s 58‑watt LPFM KRQP (95.5 FM). Investigators found K231CN retransmitting the wrong primary station and operating an unauthorized omnidirectional antenna without filing Form 349....
Monetization Tools Now Open to All Streamers Worldwide
Channel Points, Emotes, Subs, Bits, and Badges are now available to onboarded streamers worldwide. This was previously limited to certain regions.
Marvel's 'The Punisher: One Last Kill' Debuts on Disney+ Amid MCU Phase 6 Build‑Up
Marvel's new special presentation, "The Punisher: One Last Kill," premiered on Disney+ on May 12 at 9 p.m. ET, starring Jon Bernthal, who also co‑wrote the 44‑minute episode. The release slots into Phase 6, filling narrative gaps between "Daredevil: Born Again" and...
Arena Radio Launches Global Listen-to-Earn Podcast Platform
Arena Radio, the creator‑led music streaming service, unveiled a subscription‑free, ad‑free podcast network on May 28, 2026 that rewards creators $0.03 per full episode and listeners $0.01 in credits. The launch is supported by a $5 million incentive pool and an...
Netflix Says Its Ad-Supported Tier Now Has 250 Million Monthly Viewers
Netflix announced that its ad‑supported tier now attracts 250 million monthly active viewers and will expand to 15 additional countries next year. The growth is credited to a strong slate of titles such as "Wednesday," "The Night Agent," and "Stranger Things."...
Bret Easton Ellis's 'The Shards': Everything to Know About the Ryan Murphy-Directed TV Series
Bret Easton Ellis’s 2023 novel *The Shards* is being turned into a ten‑episode FX series directed by Ryan Murphy. The show stars Igby Rigney as a teenage Ellis and features a supporting cast that includes Kaia Gerber, Evan Rachel Wood...
Matt Stockman to Exit Pillar Media’s Top Programming Role
After more than six years, Matt Stockman will leave his role as Chief Programming Officer at Pillar Media, with his last day set for August 31. Stockman, who joined in 2020, oversaw programming strategy for the company's five stations in Denver,...
Netflix Boasts 250 Million Global MAUs, Adding 15 New Ad-Supported Countries, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ World Concert Tour in 2027
Netflix announced it now has 250 million global monthly active users, with 60 % of new sign‑ups opting for the ad‑supported tier. The company will add 15 additional ad‑supported countries in 2027, bringing the total to 27 markets for its $7.99 plan....
Netflix Renews Big Mistakes, Running Point, And 3 More Shows
Netflix announced a slate of renewals during its May upfront, extending five series across scripted and unscripted categories. Comedy‑thriller "Big Mistakes" received a second season after an eight‑episode debut, while Kate Hudson’s basketball comedy "Running Point" was green‑lit for a...
MrBeast Reveals Plans for the World’s ‘Largest Membership Program’ & New Types of Content
Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson announced a plan to launch the world’s largest YouTube membership program, offering early video access, exclusive challenges, and a charitable component. The initiative was unveiled at a Business Insider‑hosted breakfast in New York attended by brands such...
South African Artists Earned $30.69 Million on Spotify in 2025. Most of It Came From Abroad.
South African artists generated R504 million ($30.69 million) on Spotify in 2025, a 28% year‑on‑year rise and almost double the 2023 figure. Nearly 74% of that revenue came from listeners outside South Africa, making the global market the platform’s biggest source of...
Apple TV Exec Morgan Wandell Departs to Launch Own Studio
Morgan Wandell is exiting as #AppleTV's Head of International Development to launch his own production company. #Apple #streaming $AAPL
Cloudbass Taps dB Broadcast, Grass Valley for New IP-Based OB Trucks for Sports
Cloudbass has commissioned dB Broadcast to build new IP‑based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for UK sports coverage, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras and K‑Frame switching. Each truck houses up to 15 UHD/HDR cameras, with 32 LDX 150 native‑IP units across...
TikTok Announces New AI Advertising Solutions
TikTok unveiled a comprehensive AI‑driven advertising suite at its 6th‑annual TikTok World summit. New premium formats such as TopReach combine TopView and TopFeed for single‑day, high‑visibility buys, while Branded Buzz and Search Hubs enable creator‑powered buzz and top‑of‑search placement. The...
Day 21: The Low-Lift Written Event That Added 500+ Subscribers in a Week
Erin Kelly of MemberVault grew her email list by over 500 subscribers in a single week using a low‑effort, five‑day written content library. The event featured daily emails with 60%+ open rates, a gamified community, and an intake form that...
European Commission Head Pushes Creation of New Law Delaying Teens’ Social Media Access
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU could propose a law this summer to raise the minimum age for social‑media access, aiming to curb teenage exposure to addictive platforms. An expert panel will deliver recommendations in the coming...
Cord Cutting Today: Major Roku Bug Breaks TVs as Fake Walmart Onn Streamers Flood the Market
Roku’s latest firmware update unintentionally disabled audio output on a subset of its smart TVs and prevented use of external sound bars, prompting a rapid rollback. Walmart’s budget‑friendly Onn Google TV players have become so popular that counterfeit versions are...
PRX Leans Into Innovation In Public Media Crisis
PRX entered 2025 amid deep public‑media funding cuts, yet reported $27.04 million in revenue and a $1.01 million deficit. The nonprofit expanded its podcast platform, added video and live‑event initiatives, and provided free Dovetail publishing to 30 stations. It now supports 900...
Get a Limo for LiMu: RAB Selects Its Radio Marketer of the Year
Liberty Mutual Insurance has been named the 2026 Radio Marketer of the Year by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB). The accolade will be handed out at the 35th annual Radio Mercury Awards on June 3 in New York City. The insurer’s...
CBS' Tony Dokoupil to Broadcast From Taiwan After Failing to Get China Visa in Time
CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil was unable to secure a Chinese visa in time for the network’s planned live coverage of the high‑profile summit in Beijing, forcing him to broadcast instead from Taipei. The move comes as NBC and ABC...
10 Minutes With… Gaby Ferreres, Head of Industry Marketing at AWS
Amazon Web Services used the NAB Show 2026 to showcase a suite of experiential activations, including an AI‑driven Cloud Court basketball challenge and a hackathon‑style AI lab. The booth featured over 60 demos, hands‑on workshops, and a live podcast studio,...
Disney+ Confirms 'Ahsoka' Season 2 for Early 2027 Release
Rosario Dawson announced at Disney's 2026 upfront that the second season of the Star Wars series Ahsoka will launch on Disney+ in early 2027. The reveal includes returning star Hayden Christensen and new cast member Rory McCann, while Lucasfilm scales back...